Money Powerup Packs

Interactive events for parents to share ideas for saving and talking to kids about money.

Money Powerup Packs: Everything you need to launch easy, engaging events in your program that build financial resilience. Talking about money can be uncomfortable and intimidating. Money Powerup Packs create a supportive and non-judgmental environment for parents to share strategies about how their families save, spend, and talk with their children about money. Parents grow their belief that they are skillful savers who have valuable information to share and put into action.

Engaging for Parents

Parents learn and connect with peers, facilitators, and financial professionals through engaging activities & conversations, not lectures.

Turn-Key for Staff

Staff save time by using the fully-planned and easy to facilitate activities. Every pack contains all the materials you need to advertise, facilitate, and evaluate your event without prior training.

Results for Kids

Inspired by what works for families, each pack includes easy and fun activities to start relevant and meaningful conversations about money with children and families.

Research & Design

Traditional financial literacy assumes that the end goal is always money in the bank. In reality, many savings behaviors precede and sometimes substitute traditional savings. As a result, programs and services that focus on traditional savings alone are impractical and alienating for people with no money to save. Organizations also miss the opportunity to foster non-traditional savings behaviors.

Money Powerup Packs are the results of the Savings Initiative Project, a three-year IRB-approved research and design project with eleven (11) community-based agencies who provide TANF and Early Head Start programs in Washington State. Over 300 parents inspired and validated what works for them throughout the project. Their direct feedback dictated a solution that offered:

► Relevant and engaging content about money

► Fun, hands-on activities that don’t intimidate

► Celebration of family resilience and savings strategies

► Supportive, non-judgmental learning environments

► Activities (and stickers!) to discuss different money topics with their children

8 Unique Packs

Heart and Brain

Themes: Intentional Spending &

Decision Fatigue

Knowing when we are making decisions with our heart and when we are

deciding with our brain, helps us be intentional about spending. Families

don’t have to feel guilty for wanting their wants or focusing on their needs

because everyone gets to decide for themselves when to buy and when to

save.

Bank with Strength

Themes: Relationships with

Financial Institutions & Goal

Setting and Practice

Everyone deserves clear and straightforward answers to the big and small

questions about banking. Build relationships with financial institutions so

everyone can choose the financial services that support their goals.

Invisible Investments

Themes: Social Capital and

Connections & Goal Planning &

Setting

When we talk about investments, we typically think about money.

Everyone makes investments in themselves, their families, and their

communities all the time. These investments can be sources of strength

and social connection. Set goals and plan how to your spend time, energy,

and money in ways that support your financial future.

Resource Wise

Themes: Intentional Spending &

Non-Traditional Savings Tactics

From electricity to water to food, we all rely on these shared resources to

survive. Being intentional about how we use our resources can save us

money and help the planet. Share and celebrate new ways to save

resources and cut costs.

Saving with the Seasons

Themes: Intentional Spending &

Social and Cultural Pressures to

Spend

Each season brings new reasons and opportunities to spend, save, or earn

money. Thinking about each season before it arrives, can help us feel more

confident and prepared for the opportunities, costs, and pressures to

spend throughout the year.

Spending Slowdown

Themes: Social Pressure to

Spend & Decision Fatigue

Pressure to spend is everywhere. When we feel prepared to handle the

spending decisions that we come across every day, we can focus on our

goals and bypass the distractions.

Community Exchange

Themes: Social Capital and

Connections & Non-Traditional

Savings Tactics

Create space for families to exchange skills, hobbies, services, and support.

When people come together to meet each other’s needs, connections

grow and communities are stronger.

Savings for Change

Themes: Identify as a Saver &

Non-Traditional Savings Tactics

Whether your saving strategy is big or small, every action counts when it

comes to building savings habits. Celebrating and sharing the unique ways

we save helps us see that we are skillful savers who have valuable

information to share with our children, families, and communities.

Staff Experience: Community Not Classroom

Money Powerup Packs were designed, tested, and refined to optimize for the people who use them: staff and families.

What’s Included: No training needed!

Every pack contains all the materials you need to advertise, facilitate, and evaluate an event including: flyers, welcome video, facilitator guides, group activities, coloring sheets for kids, take home activities to play with the whole family, and event surveys.

► Getting Started Booklet

• Objectives of the event

• Preparing for the event

• Community Brainstorm Boardinstructions

► Invitations & Decorations

• Banners and flyers

• Email templates

► Family Take-Home Activities and stickers!

► Facilitator Materials

• Agenda, checklist, & PowerPoint

• Facilitator bingo & reflection

• 90-second Introductory video

► Discussion-based “Day of Event”Activity (90 minutes)

• Group agreements

• Card games, worksheet, dicegame, and more

• Appreciation and reflection

What Staff Say

“Haven't seen this in the world of asset development. It certainly makes a lot of sense - learning through doing things, games, laughing and learning more...”

“The prompts are very creative, and we had some great conversations that

►

► “The way that it was laid out, step by step, made it easy to use.”

► “Implementing it without having newcurriculum and new training. I think staffare really going to like that."

Parent Experience: Social Capital, Connection, & Confidence

Money Powerup Packs were designed, tested, and refined to optimize for the people who use them: staff and families.

Each of the unique packs celebrates a family’s ability to build savings and financial security through a different theme. When people engage in activities and conversations in Money Powerup Packs they create memorable experiences and meaningful connections that build social capital, social connection, agency, and confidence.

What Parents Say

“I didn’t feel so embarrassed…’so, I’m not the only one with problems with money?’…Somebody is having problems and you think, ‘Okay, so that’s how you do it too.’…So, it’s good to know that I’m not alone in that respect.”

“You may never know what you learn from others until you hear their story. …Hearing about how people save money and what they do with their change.

It’s made me change my whole outlook on money itself. I’m looking forward to being in more classes.”

Parent Satisfaction Rating

Event

Helped envision financial future

Made me think about how family spends

Helped me understand money decisions

Made me feel more connected with others Overall

Resource Wise 3.7 3.6 3.6 3.3 3.6

Savings for Change 3.5 3.7 3.5 3.3 3.5

Saving with Seasons 3.8 3.9 3.5 3.3 3.5

Bank with Strength 3.8 3.7 3.7 3.1 3.5

Heart & Brain 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.2 3.3

Spending Slowdown 3.3 3.3 3.5 3.2 3.3

Invisible Investments 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0

Community Exchange 2.9 2.7 2.8 3.3 3.0

ALL EVENTS 3.4 3.4 3.3 3.2 3.4